Apparatus of manufacturing inorganic material and method of manufacturing inorganic material

1 . An apparatus of manufacturing an inorganic material, the apparatus comprising:

a blower blowing inert gas;

a crusher vitrifying plural kinds of inorganic compounds to be the inorganic material, by applying shearing stress and compressive stress to the plural kinds of inorganic compounds, and blowing up the plural kinds of vitrified inorganic compounds by the inert gas blown from the blower;

a first collector into which at least some of the plural kinds of inorganic compounds blown up by the inert gas enters, the first collector returning the at least some of the plural kinds of inorganic compounds to the crusher;

a system circulating the inert gas from the blower through the crusher and the first collector to the blower;

a first container containing the plural kinds of inorganic compounds to be supplied to the crusher;

a first pipe connected to the first collector and the first container, one opening of the first pipe being located at a material supply port of the first collector and another opening of the first pipe being located at an opening of the first container;

a first valve detachably attached to the first pipe with the first container;

a first line introducing inert gas into the first pipe; and

a fourth valve provided on the first pipe,

a second collector into which the inorganic material blown up by the inert gas enters;

a second pipe communicating to the crusher and the first collector, one opening of the second pipe being located at an opening of a material discharge pipe of the crusher and another opening of the second pipe being located at a suction port of the first collector;

a second valve provided in the second pipe;

a third pipe communicating to the second collector and a portion of the second pipe positioned between the crusher and the second valve, one opening of the third pipe and the second valve being arranged in this order along the second pipe from the opening of the material discharge pipe of the crusher to the suction port of the first collector, and another opening of the third pipe being located at a suction port of the second collector; and

a third valve provided in the third pipe,

wherein the system is closed from outside of the system,

wherein the first valve and the fourth valve are arranged in this order from the first container to the material supply port of the first collector, and

wherein the first pipe is connected to the first line between the first valve and the fourth valve.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a second container containing the inorganic material collected by the second collector;

a fourth pipe communicating to the second collector and the second container; and

a second line introducing inert gas into the fourth pipe.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a decompressor reducing an internal pressure of the crusher.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the crusher comprises a rotating table, a plurality of balls, and a presser, the plurality of balls being arranged around a rotation axis of the rotating table, each of the plurality of balls being rotatable about a rotation axis rotating together with the rotation of the rotating table, the presser pressing the plurality of balls to the rotating table from a side opposite to the rotating table.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the crusher vitrifying the plural kinds of inorganic compounds supplied to a center of the rotating table by applying the shearing stress and the compressive stress to the plural kinds of inorganic compounds,

wherein a plurality of gas inlets are positioned around the rotating table so that the inert gas flows from lower side to upper side of the crusher outside of the rotating table,

wherein some other of the plural kinds of inorganic compounds blown up by the inert gas moves from outside of the rotating table to the center of the rotating table above the presser.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the crusher comprises a cover portion directing a flow of the inert gas blowing up the plural kinds of inorganic compounds, to a center of the crusher and a downward direction of the crusher.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the plural kinds of inorganic compounds comprise Li.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising

a buffer tank,

wherein the system circulates the inert gas further through the buffer tank.

9 . The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the inert gas enters the buffer tank, passes through a plurality of gas outlets of the buffer tank and is sent to a plurality of gas inlets of the crusher.

10 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising

a fifth pipe,

wherein the system circulates the inert gas further through the fifth pipe, and

the blower sucks the inert gas in the fifth pipe and discharges, through a gas outlet of the blower, the sucked inert gas.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein a flow rate of the inert gas sent from the blower is changeable.

12 . The apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first collector is a dust collector.

13 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a sixth pipe communicating to a gas discharge pipe of the second collector and a portion of the second pipe positioned between the second valve and the first collector,

wherein the second valve and one opening of the sixth pipe are arranged in this order along the second pipe from the opening of the material discharge pipe of the crusher to the suction port of the first collector.

14 . A method of manufacturing an inorganic material by using the apparatus according to claim 1 , the method comprising:

by the blower, blowing the inert gas;

by the crusher, vitrifying the plural kinds of inorganic compounds to be the inorganic material, by applying shearing stress and compressive stress to the plural kinds of inorganic compounds, and blowing up the plural kinds of vitrified inorganic compounds by the inert gas blown from the blower;

returning from the first collector to the crusher at least some of the plural kinds of inorganic compounds blown up by the inert gas and entering into the first collector; and

circulating the inert gas from the blower through the crusher and the first collector to the blower in the system.